Urad dal vada

Urad vada is a snack which takes effort and time.

Getting the right batter, the consistency and shaping the vadas all require patience and the right techniques.

Urad dal vada/uzhunnu vada

Ingredients

1 cup whole urad dal

2 green chilies 

1tsp jeera/cumin seeds

1 medium onion 

Few springs of curry leaves

One slice of the grated ginger

Salt as required

Method

*Wash, soak whole urad dal for 4 hours. After 4 hours, remove excess water. Leave it in counter for half an hour.

* In a mixer jar add urad dal, green chilies, ginger, grind in pulse mode until soft and frothy.

*In a mixing bowl,add urad dal batter, finely chopped onion, cumin seeds,salt, use a spatula to mix in. Keep aside.

* In a bowl keep water, a small cup with a little oil, a clean tea strainer ready.

* In a thick iron pan, pour peanut oil, allow it to heat, reduce medium flame.

*Dip your hands in water, then wet your finger tips with oil, apply a little oil on the backside of the strainer.

*Take a small ball of urad dal batter, place it on the tea strainer. Shape it using fingers, place a small hole in the middle.

* Gently tap the strainer into the oil, let the vada release into the oil, fry it using a perforated ladle.

*Cook and flip both sides and fry till golden brown.

*Remove the vadas in kitchen napkin, let the excess oil get absorbed.

*Serve the hot vadas in serving plates with sambar, chutney, tomato ketchup and freshly brewed coffee or masala tea.

*I am sure you will enjoy making urad vadas and your family will enjoy the crunchy, flavourful vadas.

Notes

*For better results use freshly bought good quality urad dal.

*I have grounded the batter and left half portion of the batter  in the fridge. You can try making urad vadas in two batches if you want. But make sure you don't add onion and other ingredients, while storing in the refrigerator.

*One batch when freshly ground, then keep rest of the batter in refrigerator and make it the next day. Both tastes good. 

Variation

Soaked Whole urad dal, avarakkai sprouted fresh seeds, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, hand crushed pepper. Grind them all in grinder without adding water.

Today I made these yummilicious vadas for breakfast.

Masala rice bhath

Masala rice bhath, curd and banana chips. A quick rice variation with peas, peanuts, lobia, and spices.

Citron Pickle

Citron, fresh ginger, green chillies and pink Himalayan salt. Pickling time!!

The recipe for citron pickle requires very few ingredients.

1 large sized citron/narthangay/big green lemon

10 green chilies

A large pice of ginger

2 tablespoon Rick salt or pink salt

Method

Wash, wipe and cut citron into thin slices.

Slit green chilies

Remove the skin and chop ginger into one inch long slices.

In a glass bottle or jar, add all the above ingredients, mix in rock salt. Gently toss, so that all the ingredients mix well.

Store in a cool dry place, gently toss for two days, you can start using them with curd rice or rice kanji.

Shelf life is for about two weeks if kept in airtight containers.

Use wooden spoon to take the pickle out for better shelf life.

One pot soup

Soulful soups, one pot meal with oats, grains, lentils, mixed vegetables and spicy red chillies.

Recipe

Mushrooms, beans, parsley, raw tomatoes, chow chow, cauliflower florets, shallots, chop all vegetables into small cubes.
A handful of rolled oats, moong dal, rajgirah, broken wheat.

Method of preparation

Pour a little ghee or oil saute shallots, followed by other vegetables, parsley, add salt and oats, grains and lentils. Give a toss, pour 4 to 5 cups of water. Pressure cook for two whistles.
Serve with chioce of your sauce, soy, red chilli, vinegar if you like. I prefer clear soup with crushed pepper, chopped spicy red chillies.

Diet porridge with vegetables

Soulful soups, one pot meal with oats, grains, lentils, mixed vegetables and spicy red chillies.

Recipe

Mushrooms, beans, parsley, raw tomatoes, chow chow, cauliflower florets, shallots, chop all vegetables into small cubes.
A handful of rolled oats, moong dal, rajgirah, broken wheat.

Method of preparation

Pour a little ghee or oil saute shallots, followed by other vegetables, parsley, add salt and oats, grains and lentils. Give a toss, pour 4 to 5 cups of water. Pressure cook for two whistles.
Serve with chioce of your sauce, soy, red chilli, vinegar if you like. I prefer clear soup with crushed pepper, chopped spicy red chillies.

Water apples

My favourite fruit. Water apples.

Coffee, cinnamon sponge cake

Coffee, cinnamon cake one of my favourite flavour. I tried to make a small cake today and it came out super soft and spongy.

Followed a very ordinary and simple recipe.

All purpose flour/maida 225 grams
Unsalted butter 225 grams
Castor sugar 225 grams
Eggs small in size 6 nos.
Instant coffee powder 2 tsp
Cinnamon a pinch
Nutmeg powder a pinch
Vanilla essence a few drops

Crushed or sliced almonds a handful 

Process

Heat the oven to 180C

You can line in cake tin with baking parchment if you have it. I have applied butter and dusted with flour.

Cream the butter(in room temperature) and the powdered sugar together until pale. Use an electric hand mixer if you have one.

Beat in the eggs, white and yolk together. If you want you can beat them separately.

Sift over the flour and fold in using a spatula. Add a few drops of vanilla essence, instant coffee, nutmeg, cinnamon and fold. Make sure the mixture should be of a dropping consistency.

Gently spread out in cake tin with a spatula. Garnish with crushed almonds. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool down to room temperature. Cut into desired shapes and enjoy the spongy soft freshly baked coffee cinnamon cake. Its delicious!

Rice noodles soup

Thai rice noodle soup with zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic, green chillies, basil, soy, and drumsticks flowers.

Cheese sandwiches

Cheese burst!
Grilled sandwiches filled with blend of cheddar and mozzarella cheese,fried eggs, grilled zucchini and tomatoes garnished with hand crushed pepper and basil. Italiano!

Vegetable sevai/noodles

Rice sevai /noodles. Saute thinly sliced vegetables like zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers,  onions, green chillies, ginger, cauliflower, carrots, garnish with grated coconut, cilantro, curry leaves and parsley. A dash of freshly ground garam masala and turmeric for that delicate flavour. The perfectly cooked rice sevai blends well with different ingredients. Its delicious and soulful. Best for kidoos tiffin.

#breakfast
#ricenoodles
#vegetablesevai
#gratedcoconut

Dal tadka

Dal tadka with vegetables, spices and red chillies.

#photography #photooftheday #yummytummy #yummilicous #traditionalfood #foodblogging #southindiancooking #indianfood #bellpeppers #onions #carrot #redchillies #daltadka #lentils #indiancooking #indianfoodblog #ndtvfood #chefclub #chef #foodastheraphy #yummilicous #droolclub #delicious

Egg curry, aloo gobi gravy and whole wheat parantha

Egg curry mushrooms, garlic onions and fresh green chillies. Aloo gobi gravy and whole wheat parantha. Yummilicious!

Roasted sweet potatoes, evening snack.

Sweet potatoes steamed and roasted with hand crushed pepper, mexican herbs. Evening snack for kids.

Its a quick snack for hungry kids. In fact its very nutritious and filling.

Wash and steam sweet potato. Cut into desired shape along with skin. In a heated tawa pour olive oil, arrange sweet potato slices, add mexican seasoning, red chilli powder, salt, crushed pepper and toss the sweet potatoes. Allow it to turn into golden brown. Served with mint, cilantro, dates, juicy tomatoes and a cup of freshly made lemon juice. Blissful!!

Fruits as snack

Crunchy guavas and golden nectar dates. Perfect for mid afternoon snack. Its fresh, refreshing and delicious!

Tomato onion chutney (red chutney)

We make different varieties of chutneys to be served with idly, dosa, pongal, adai and so on. 

This chutney can be made a day before and can be served with morning breakfast if you want to, as it takes time to make this chutney. 

Ingredients

Few red dry chillies I have used a few for colour a few for spice.

Large onion 1
Tomato 2
Green chilli 1
Ginger a small piece
Garlic a few
Coriander /mint leaves a few
Salt as required
Channa dal 1 tsp
Oil a little
Mustard 1/2 tsp

Chop onion, tomato, green chilli, garlic, ginger. In a heated pan pour a little oil saute channa dal, red chillies, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, coriander leaves. Once onion are translucent add salt and allow them to cool down. Transfer to mixer and grind to a smooth paste. Now in the same pan pour a little oil add mustard seeds , let it splutter. Add red chutney and cook by adding water if needed till the raw smell goes off. Serve as a side for dosa, idly, uttappam. Its delicious and yum!

Thai noodles

Its a visual bliss. I enjoy working with different shades at different stages of food creation. From chopping and grating vegetables to cooking and arranging them step by step. It gives me a kind of gratification when I finally plate.

Enjoy and share my passion.

Creating a simple thai noodles through my camera's lense. Its a treat to your eyes. The wavy white noodles carefully cooked to its perfection. Added to the colourful roit of grated, sliced vegetables slowly cooked until they are tender and blended with soy, sriracha, red chilli, vinegar, red chilli flakes, basil, kaffir lime leaves emitting its delicate aroma. Finally garnish with fresh basil to give that perfect flavour. Its yum!

Drumsticks rasam

Drumsticks rasam, its spicy, peppery, tangy and colourful.

Drumsticks rasam recipe

Ripe tomato - 2
Drumsticks pieces a few
tamarind - a small gooseberry size
Tuvar dal - 1/4 cup
hing - a small piece
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
salt as required

For tadka
ghee - 1 tsp
mustard seed - 1/2 tsp
methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
red chilly - 1 broken

rasam powder - 2 tsp
coriander leaves - 1 tsp(chopped)

Method of Preparation

In pressure cooker cook tuvar dal add turmeric to it on bottom vessel and on top vessel keep tamarind, halved tomato, drumsticks pieces and a small piece of hing, Add just a glass of water for two whistles. Remove from cooker and check whether tuvar dal is well cooked, smash it using a ladle. Cool down tamarind, extract the pulp, the hing must be very well cooked in tamarind pulp.  Remove the tomato skin gently smash the tomato with fork, In an earthern pot add tamarind pulp and tomatoes, drumsticks pieces. Add tuvar dal and adjust salt. Allow it to boil now add rasam powder, let it froth now add chopped coriander leaves. Add beetroot cooked water, Off the stove. In a heated small pan add mustard seed, let it splutter add methi seeds and red chilly. Methi seeds will release a mild aroma. Pour the tadka on top of the rasam.

Drumsticks gives a lovely aroma to rasam.

Beetroot rasam

Beetroot rasam, its spicy, peppery, tangy and colourful.

Beetroot rasam recipe

Ripe tomato - 2
tamarind - a small gooseberry size
Tuvar dal - 1/4 cup
hing - a small piece
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
salt as required

For tadka
ghee - 1 tsp
mustard seed - 1/2 tsp
methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
red chilly - 1 broken

rasam powder - 2 tsp
coriander leaves - 1 tsp(chopped)

Method of Preparation

In pressure cooker cook tuvar dal add turmeric to it on bottom vessel and on top vessel keep tamarind, halved tomato and a small piece of hing, Add just a glass of water for two whistles. Remove from cooker and check whether tuvar dal is well cooked, smash it using a ladle. Cool down tamarind, extract the pulp, the hing must be very well cooked in tamarind pulp.  Remove the tomato skin gently smash the tomato with fork, In an earthern pot add tamarind pulp and tomatoes. Add tuvar dal and adjust salt. Allow it to boil now add rasam powder, let it froth now add chopped coriander leaves. Add beetroot cooked water, Off the stove. In a heated small pan add mustard seed, let it splutter add methi seeds and red chilly. Methi seeds will release a mild aroma. Pour the tadka on top of the rasam.

(Beetroot cooked in pressure cooker for making sabji, remove the beetroot use the water in which beetroot is cooked and add that to rasam, for extra rich colour, flavour and aroma.)

Cheesy sweet corn

Sweet corn tossed in butter and cheese and a cup of hot soup for kids. Evening snack.

Recipe for cheesy sweet corn

Peel and microwave sweet corn for about 4 minutes or until its well cooked. You can steam if you like. Remove the cobs using a knife. Add salted butter in a heated pan, add corn and give a quick toss. Add grated cheese, chat masala and freshly crushed pepper. Gently toss and cook till corn turns into mild golden brown. Serve with choice of soup.

Please remember since cheese and butter has salt don't add extra salt.

Veppallaikatti with lemon leaves

Yesterday got from my friends back yard kaffir family(I think so, though they are bigger than kaffir limes) lemons and leaves. Today made veppallaikatti- its made out of lemon leaves.

Recipe and method of preparation

Wash, dry and chop lemon leaves into tiny pieces, make a coarse powder by adding salt in mixer jar. Squeeze lemon extract.

Dry roast red chillies, hing cake, a tiny piece, powder it and add lemon leaves powder, mix them both in mixer. Remove and mux gently. Make sure you adjust salt. Make small round shaped spheres out of it and store in air tight containers. You can add this when you make buttermilk or enjoy as a side dish with curd rice.

You can add broken urad dal if you wish to while roasting red chillies, I have not added as I use it in buttermilk most of the time as a flavour enhancer.